Masking means



Feb. 17, 1942. Q, T I 2,273,385

MASKING MEANS Original Fi led Feb 18, 1939 I] ll I nvenibr Oscar 82623 we 2 Raw Far 7/11,

Patented Feb. 17, 1942 MASKING MEANS Oscar Steiner, Irondequoit, N. Y., assignor to The Folmer Grafiex Corporation, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Original application February 18, 1939, Serial No. 256,018. Divided and this application August 28, 1940, Serial No. 354,554

3 Claims.

This application is a division of my co-pending application Ser. No. 256,018, filed February 18, 1939, now Patent No. 2,224,839, dated December 10, 1940, for apparatus for making photographic contact prints.

This invention particularly relates to masking means for contact printers for photographic purposes, and also to enlarging easels, used to hold the photographic paper and providing means for obtaining a white border when projection prints are made.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood, I have disclosed a single embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Fig. l is a front elevation of the upper part of a contact printer for photographic purposes with the platen top fully opened and showing the platen top hinge springs;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1, very clearly showing the position of the masking blades, plates or members;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail in plan, partly broken away, of one of the said masking blades, plates or members;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of part of one of the masking blades, plates or members, showing the locking means therefor;

Fig. 5 is a section taken through the construction shown in Fig. 6 on the line 5-5 of said figure; and

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through one of the masking blades, plates or members on the line Ii-E, Fig. 3, showing the construction of the locking means therefor.

The upper portion only, of a contact printer is shown in Fig. 1. It may be of any suitable construction, but in the disclosed embodiment of the invention the casing thereof is indicated generally at A. Preferably it has a top platen bar I pivoted at 2 to bar hinge block 3. The platen top is indicated at 4, and thereabove are positioned the forward platen casting 5 and the rear platen casting 6, which are connected by a hinge. The rear casting 6 has connected thereto a platen hinge arm 8 hinged at 9 to the platen top 4. The platen bar hinges 2, 2 are attached to the hinge block 3 by screws 9b, 9b.

The platen bar I has attached thereto a hinged latch having a hook to engage a rocking bar having a notch 2| to receive the said hook of the latch. The bar 20 is pivoted on a screw 22 and its movement is limited by a screw or pin 23. Pivoted to the bar 20 is an upright bar 25 connected to a switch arm or lever 26 by a pin iii. The large electric lamp is indicated at 2111, it being controlled by a suitable circuit. A tension coiled spring 29 is connected to said bar 29, and tends to rock said bar 20 clockwise about its pivot 22. Said bar 20 has a knob 38 for manual operation thereof so as to cause the lamp to be illuminated even though the top platen is raised. Such act is sometimes necessary for adjustments in the placing of negatives under the masking blades, plates or members, to which my invention is particularly directed.

A second or red lamp is preferably provided, controlled by suitable switches, and a pivoted arm for one of them is indicated at Ma. To either side of the printer is pivoted a folding shelf 42. The top of the printer is provided with a glass plate and a flexible blanket or pressure pad 5!] is employed for the purpose of holding the paper and the negative in contact above and against the said glass plate. A handle 58 is attached to a side panel of the housing.

My invention is in no Wise limited to the said construction of parts.

Referring especially to Fig, 2, it will be seen that the entire top of the printer is exposed, the platen bar I having been raised all the way up and represented as cut off in this view. The platen top 4 is provided with grooves or channels receiving removable channel bars 66, 66 (shown best in enlarged section in Fig. 5), in which slide shoes 61, 61 carrying four masking blades, plates or members 68, 68. The said blades may be made of any suitable material but are preferably of thin or sheet steel. They have riveted to their lower faces the said guide shoes 61 respectively. One of the said guide shoes is clearly shown in Fig. 4 and the cross sectional form thereof is shown in Fig. 5. In each guide shoe 61 is provided an elongated opening 69. Each shoe is fastened to the corresponding blade with rivets Hl, 10. In the centre of each shoe 6'! is fitted a tapered member or cone H which is engaged by a screw 12 attached to knob 13 and prevented from turning in the shoe 6'! by a pin 14, clearly represented in Fig. 4.

When the knob 13 is turned in a clockwise direction, inasmuch as screw 12 is provided with a right hand thread and the tapered member or cone ll is also provided with a right thread, the cone II will be caused to rise in the elongated opening 69 which is shaped to fit the cone II and has a like taper. The shoe 61 will thus be caused to expand, thereby locking the masking blade assembly to the masking blade bars, track or channel 66. If the knob 13 is turned in a conpermitting the entire removal of the masking blades, plates or members from the top or the printer if desired, thus leaving the entire area free and clear with no projections of any kind to interfere when working with extremely large negatives or paper, the upper edges of the tracks or channels 65, being flush with the face of the top 4. While masking devices have, or course. been heretofore employed, they have generally, as placed upon the market, had some perinanently attached brackets or members or one kind or another hat interfered with an absolutely clear top when the masking blades themselves were removed.

A switch is closed through pivoted arm tic, which action illuminates the red lamp. The top platen bar I is raised all the way up. The ative is placed on the glass plate and photographic paper is placed in contact with the neg" ative. The mashing blades (iii, adjusted for the proper area of picture. These positing blades, which are thin, lie between the negative and the photographic paper. The platen bar I is brought down on wing with it platen e pads 25 which castings 5, 5 and c,

contact with the plio' ahic paper, placing the latter in firm cc tact with the negative, and the negative in turn in lirin contact with the glass plate. After the printing has been done the latch is released n1 e bar 522 and the platen top bar I opened for the removal of the paper and negative, or of ti o paper alone if a munber of prints are to be made from the same negative.

Having thus described one illustrative em bodiznent of the invention, it is to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and d riptive sense and not for purposes of lir itation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for printin for photographic purposes from negative, comprising a housing or enclosure having illuminating means and top adapted to have secured thereto at one edge the platen means, a glass-like plate upon said top to receive the negative and sensitized paper, said top having formed therein, and terminating flush with the surface of said top, grooves adjacent to and parallel with two edges of said plate which are at substantially right angles to each other, removable channel bars, substan tially U-shaped in cross section, in said grooves respectively for receiving each two masking blades or members, the latter each having at one end thereof guide shoes adapted to be received directly in the said channel and means carried by said blades and ctr-acting with said guide shoes to tighten the said blades in said channel bars by expanding said guide shoes against opposite Walls or said channel bars or to loosen them therein for removal therefrom or adjustment therealong, said means carried by each of said blades including a screw extending through the blade, and a nut-like member carried by said screw and havin a tapered surface to engage the said guide shoe and expand the same against said channel walls, the said blades with such securing and adjusting means and said channel bars being readily removable from the said top, thereby leavin the latter flush and entirely unobstructed.

2. Apparatus for printing for photographic purp ses froin negatives, comprising a housing or enclosure having illuminating and a top ad to have secured thereto at one edge 21 in ans, a glass-like plate upon said ensitized paper, having fo med therein, and terminating 1 the sin-race or said top, grooves adjacent to and parallel with two edges of said plate which are at substantially right angles to each other, rein le channel bars, substantially U wed in cross section, in said grooves respecroceiving each two nias ig blades or the latter having at one end thereof guide shoes adapted to be received directly in channel bars, and means carried by 1 s and co-acting with said 'uide shoes the biases in s d channel bars d guide shoes opposite nel bars or to loosen them \Fll therefrom or adjustment carried by each of row received in a slot the blade and shoe, nu having red face upon the under aid blade upon said screw, said shoe havapered race to be flanged by the tapered so i nut and etc" id the same against he said construction also s, the l: r in val of the entire series of blades and channel bars and the securing and adjust means from the said top, thereby leaving one flush and unobstructed. A photo phio printer having a top to receive the ncga and SCH-3112651 paper, said top having l" therein, and terminating flush with the surface of scid top, grooves adceeit to parallel with two edges of said top ch at substantially right angles to each lOQJJlS ehai l bars having spaced ls in gro respectively for reone or masking blades or the latter each having at one end .e shoes adap ed to be received diid channel is and means car- .le nd co-ac ing with said guide e said .ies in channel said guide shoes against opchannol bars or to loosen removal 1 ewith or therefrom insane c 1 061 by each of said a s w lng through the nnt-li1re inc carried bv said 1 surface to age and the same l walls, the said blades with such and adjusting means and said chanog readily removable from the said saving the laltcr flush and entirely up to receive the negative and s pe roittn upon the loosening cl" said nut .bsructed.

OSCAR STEI 

